There are many ways to skin a cat, unfortunately there are just as many ways to "crash" your reef. Looking for an in depth discussion on how to keep your reef going as long as possible. What to do, what not to do, and what you need to do to beat the summer heat, unavoidable power outages, and anything else that can get thrown at your tank.
Bulletproofing a reef tank
- Thread starter GAM GAM
- Start date
Spyderturbo007
New member
I go very slow which has served me well to this point. After 10 months, I just added my last of 5 fish. Most people throw that in over a weekend. My tank is way behind where most people are at 10 months, but I don't really mind. It's given me time to read, read, read and read some more. 
I started very slowly with just one coral, one fish (after QT), one turbo snail and a few hermit crabs. After that, I would add a fish every 4 - 6 weeks and started slowly increasing the difficulty level of the coral. Anytime anything seemed out of line, I would stop, assess the situation and then slowly move forward.
I own a generator that I can use to power the tank in the event of an outage, along with a controller that will alert me of any pending issues before they become a catastrophe.
I'm not saying my way is the way to go, but it has worked for me.
I started very slowly with just one coral, one fish (after QT), one turbo snail and a few hermit crabs. After that, I would add a fish every 4 - 6 weeks and started slowly increasing the difficulty level of the coral. Anytime anything seemed out of line, I would stop, assess the situation and then slowly move forward.
I own a generator that I can use to power the tank in the event of an outage, along with a controller that will alert me of any pending issues before they become a catastrophe.
I'm not saying my way is the way to go, but it has worked for me.
Ahhhh you beat me. Lol
Summer is upon us and the mercury is rising, now might be a good time to talk about taking proactive steps to prevent the premature demise of your reef. Here is a small list of well known reef killers, and some ways to protect yourself (feel free to add to it).
-temperature (high. Low)
-salinity (high. Low)
-power outage
Water temperature, kept in the neiborhood of 78* is a good place to start. Common high temp killers
- heater sticks on. This is one of the most common killers. Two smaller heaters are better than one, if one sticks the water heats up slower and you have more time to notice it. Adding an external temp controllers to shut off heaters if the temp climbs is a good way to add some redundancy. Adding a digital thermometer with an alarm set to notify you if the temp climbs is another good idea.
- airconditioner or fan malfunction. Your AC will breakdown, that's a fact. Probably on one of the hottest days of the year. Might take a few days to get fixed, whats your plan. When it comes to keeping your tank cool, you truly NEED some failsafes. A good way to protect your tank is by adding fans. Like the heaters, two is better than one. Don't risk thousands of dollars in livestock with one $15 fan, at least use two. Lol. Some evaporative cooling from air blowing across the surface of your tank will help quite a bit when the AC goes out. Chillers breakdown too...
- lights can get stuck in the on position. Hopefully you have the cooling to give you some time to notice this. A cheap thermometer with a high alarm will save you some cash.
Low temp- Not as common of a killer, but by having two small heaters and not putting all your eggs in one basket this should be avoidable. (assuming you have electricity)
SALINITY
Low salinity is another big killer. This is usually brought on by two things that compound one another. Having your skimmer cup hooked up to drain is a very bad idea (IMO). If your skimmer freaks out your tank slowly drains and eventually no water drains to the sump and you loose it's filtering ability. Dosent sound so bad, but most of us have an auto top off. As salt water drains fresh water is added and eventually some livestock may be effected and set off a chain reaction of death. Most ATO models have a timer to prevent this, a DIY may not. Your call on this one, takes about 10 seconds to empty and rinse the cup. And any donkey can do it. Even if the skimmer cup overflows back to the sump it's not a big deal.
- high salinity. Caused by evaporation without proper water addition. Can be caused by adding too much "2 part" buffer. You still do water tests regularly right?????
POWER OUTAGE
there is already a good thread on protecting yourself from power outage (hurricane sandy sticky), but I'll touch on a couple problems associated with them.
-first killer, no power = no circulation = not enough oxygen in the water for livestock. The soon coming low temp will kill but that's probably hours away. By having a battery backup hooked to your power heads you will keep the water moving long enough to get through the more common short term power outages. It will give you time to hook up a gas powered generator to get everything back up and running until you run out of gas. These are the best options for a power outage, not the only ones. To keep the water moving you can also use a battery powered air pump or two and bubble some air in the tank, as this will move some water. You could also grab a clean bucket, scoop out some water and pour it back in. The will circulate the water well. These last options only work when your home. To keep your temp up the tank can be wrapped with blankets. Just make sure that air can get into the water.
A good controller can manage many of these activities for you, and let you know via email if something's wrong. Probably a good investment. Not gonna get into human error caused crashes. Tanks are gonna crash this summer that is a fact. Take a minute and look at your tank and make sure your covered. Make sure your have redundant or "backup" equipment. Stuff breaks, unfortunately it's usually when we are not around to notice.
Summer is upon us and the mercury is rising, now might be a good time to talk about taking proactive steps to prevent the premature demise of your reef. Here is a small list of well known reef killers, and some ways to protect yourself (feel free to add to it).
-temperature (high. Low)
-salinity (high. Low)
-power outage
Water temperature, kept in the neiborhood of 78* is a good place to start. Common high temp killers
- heater sticks on. This is one of the most common killers. Two smaller heaters are better than one, if one sticks the water heats up slower and you have more time to notice it. Adding an external temp controllers to shut off heaters if the temp climbs is a good way to add some redundancy. Adding a digital thermometer with an alarm set to notify you if the temp climbs is another good idea.
- airconditioner or fan malfunction. Your AC will breakdown, that's a fact. Probably on one of the hottest days of the year. Might take a few days to get fixed, whats your plan. When it comes to keeping your tank cool, you truly NEED some failsafes. A good way to protect your tank is by adding fans. Like the heaters, two is better than one. Don't risk thousands of dollars in livestock with one $15 fan, at least use two. Lol. Some evaporative cooling from air blowing across the surface of your tank will help quite a bit when the AC goes out. Chillers breakdown too...
- lights can get stuck in the on position. Hopefully you have the cooling to give you some time to notice this. A cheap thermometer with a high alarm will save you some cash.
Low temp- Not as common of a killer, but by having two small heaters and not putting all your eggs in one basket this should be avoidable. (assuming you have electricity)
SALINITY
Low salinity is another big killer. This is usually brought on by two things that compound one another. Having your skimmer cup hooked up to drain is a very bad idea (IMO). If your skimmer freaks out your tank slowly drains and eventually no water drains to the sump and you loose it's filtering ability. Dosent sound so bad, but most of us have an auto top off. As salt water drains fresh water is added and eventually some livestock may be effected and set off a chain reaction of death. Most ATO models have a timer to prevent this, a DIY may not. Your call on this one, takes about 10 seconds to empty and rinse the cup. And any donkey can do it. Even if the skimmer cup overflows back to the sump it's not a big deal.
- high salinity. Caused by evaporation without proper water addition. Can be caused by adding too much "2 part" buffer. You still do water tests regularly right?????
POWER OUTAGE
there is already a good thread on protecting yourself from power outage (hurricane sandy sticky), but I'll touch on a couple problems associated with them.
-first killer, no power = no circulation = not enough oxygen in the water for livestock. The soon coming low temp will kill but that's probably hours away. By having a battery backup hooked to your power heads you will keep the water moving long enough to get through the more common short term power outages. It will give you time to hook up a gas powered generator to get everything back up and running until you run out of gas. These are the best options for a power outage, not the only ones. To keep the water moving you can also use a battery powered air pump or two and bubble some air in the tank, as this will move some water. You could also grab a clean bucket, scoop out some water and pour it back in. The will circulate the water well. These last options only work when your home. To keep your temp up the tank can be wrapped with blankets. Just make sure that air can get into the water.
A good controller can manage many of these activities for you, and let you know via email if something's wrong. Probably a good investment. Not gonna get into human error caused crashes. Tanks are gonna crash this summer that is a fact. Take a minute and look at your tank and make sure your covered. Make sure your have redundant or "backup" equipment. Stuff breaks, unfortunately it's usually when we are not around to notice.
Last edited:
Spyderturbo007
New member
Excellent advice and something I missed expanding on is the use of an external controller for your heater. If you don't go the full controller route, you can pick one up for < $100 and I can guarantee it will be the best investment you make for your tank. Think of all the time and money you have invested in your tank, only to trust it all to a $20 heater.
Also, when it comes to the generator, I would highly recommend you have already. As I found out when the Hurricane came through, when you need one the most, they will all be sold out. Thankfully I didn't need one, but I worried the entire storm that I would lose power. I tried to buy one before the storm, but everything was gone.
What's that stupid saying...."Better to have and not need than to need and not have."
FlyPenFly
SPS Killer
Aquarium controller is the best insurance you can get.
On top of that, add redundant powerheads with backup power. In the summer, have a lot of ice ready in bags if the AC goes down. In the winter, if you don't have gas get a camping gas stove to be able to heat up bags of water.
Have battery powered bubblers ready.
On top of that, add redundant powerheads with backup power. In the summer, have a lot of ice ready in bags if the AC goes down. In the winter, if you don't have gas get a camping gas stove to be able to heat up bags of water.
Have battery powered bubblers ready.
Allmost
New member
computers crash and arent bug free
Not to sound like an apple fan boy, but my 2007 macbook pro has never crashed and is bug free...same with my windows computer, but I built it myself and use it for gaming and use common sense about which browser to not use, cough, IE, cough, blows...cough, and which sites I visit.
But I do agree though that heaters should not stick on...it is 2013...technology can and is better than that so I don't believe there is an excuse for that...
HippieSmell
Occupy Reef Central
But, I bet you don't leave your computer turned on for months straight. Funny things happen without an occasional reboot.
Allmost
New member
bottom line is, computers freeze, and bugs exist, if you think that mac or microsoft are bug free, then ....
I have my masters in EE ... and work in the industry as a designer/ sales. not talking out of my rear end.
\
GroktheCube
New member
I have a controller, but I don't have all my eggs in one basket. I'm in the process of setting up a 6105 on its own strip with a Tunze wavemaker. The Apex is connected to a UPS, along with a small PH pointed at the surface.
I also use an Elos ATO, with float switches on the apex serving as backup.
I have float switches in the overflow box above my emergency drain, to shut off my return if the emergency gets clogged.
I use two 150w heater with a total system volume of just over 160 gallons, so that if the heaters stick on AND the apex keeps them on, it will take a long time for the system to get above 85, if it ever would.
I have battery powered fans, and I keep a few multi pound bags of ice in the freezer.
The apex is set to keep everything other than PHs turned off if power fails, and keep all media reactors turned off after power comes back on.
Nothing is perfect, but I try to have as much redundancy as possible.
I also use an Elos ATO, with float switches on the apex serving as backup.
I have float switches in the overflow box above my emergency drain, to shut off my return if the emergency gets clogged.
I use two 150w heater with a total system volume of just over 160 gallons, so that if the heaters stick on AND the apex keeps them on, it will take a long time for the system to get above 85, if it ever would.
I have battery powered fans, and I keep a few multi pound bags of ice in the freezer.
The apex is set to keep everything other than PHs turned off if power fails, and keep all media reactors turned off after power comes back on.
Nothing is perfect, but I try to have as much redundancy as possible.
milesmiles902
New member
High temperatures:
Cool Temperatures:
- I went and bought an electronic switch that I plug my fan into. The fan is directly plugged into it and gets turned on when the temperature is too high.This will increase evaporation and cool the tank. It is way cheaper than a electronic controller, but has only one purpose.
- Another one for those super hot summer days is too keep something cool in the fridge. Maybe a 2 liter or two to throw in the sump of ever needed.
Cool Temperatures:
- As said before by "Gam Gam". Two heaters work great for me. They keep my tank toasty at night, and shut off during the day.
ReachTheSky
Active member
Very true. A ghost of a problem since it's so uncommon but IMO, nothing that runs on software that complex can be considered truly bulletproof. I would strongly suggest testing a controller for a few days/weeks on random household components before hooking it up to your precious tank.computers crash and arent bug free
Let me tell you a story....
About three weeks after bringing it online, my Apex malfunctioned on me. It turned completely off and when it came back on by itself after about a minute, the programming was an utter, utter mess; random things were going on and off. There were heaters stuck on, dosing pumps randomly dumping 2-part, pumps and halides were randomly turning on/off (this can destroy them), the ATO was randomly dumping Kalkwasser in the sump and so on. Thankfully I was home and managed to correct the issue but imagine if I wasn't.
When I emailed Neptune about it, they quickly telnetted into my Apex and corrected the issue for good which I'm very happy about but still a bit shaken.
I don't care how diligent one is, eventually something will get your tank. Having said that, redundancy is critical IMO, as is proactive (rather than reactive) maintenance.
What I have done:
1. Use a heating controller, but also set your heaters internal thermostats slightly higher than the controller just in case the former fails. I also maintain an independent, lower wattage heater to come on in case the primary system fails. No problems in 15 years.
2. Definitely use an automatic top off unit, but have multiple, redundant float switches.
3. Use screens on all overflow pipes
4. A small generator is essential, and if a big storm is forecast stock up on gasoline!
5. Keep a spare pump on hand, one that can at least maintain flow from your sump in the event of a main pump failure. Figure a week to get replacement units/parts, so have spares on-hand for anything that cannot be off-line for that long.
6. Maintain a reservoir of fresh saltwater in the event of some kind of chemical imbalance or ammonia spike. I maintain 40 gals - tho probably not enough.
Just a few thoughts!
What I have done:
1. Use a heating controller, but also set your heaters internal thermostats slightly higher than the controller just in case the former fails. I also maintain an independent, lower wattage heater to come on in case the primary system fails. No problems in 15 years.
2. Definitely use an automatic top off unit, but have multiple, redundant float switches.
3. Use screens on all overflow pipes
4. A small generator is essential, and if a big storm is forecast stock up on gasoline!
5. Keep a spare pump on hand, one that can at least maintain flow from your sump in the event of a main pump failure. Figure a week to get replacement units/parts, so have spares on-hand for anything that cannot be off-line for that long.
6. Maintain a reservoir of fresh saltwater in the event of some kind of chemical imbalance or ammonia spike. I maintain 40 gals - tho probably not enough.
Just a few thoughts!
HippieSmell
Occupy Reef Central
I sure hope the PLC I'm building is worth the effort. My understanding is that they are pretty stable for continuous use, yes?
EVERY computer can crash or can easily be taken down. Even Macs OS X.
Macs are no different from Windows except they are targeted because hackers have hated Microsoft for a very long time.
I work in the IT field and have many certifications. I'm studing for my CEH right now (certified ethical hacker)
Reef or Die
New member
Great advice in this thread!! I will be using some of the failsafes mentioned on my new build. I currently run a fan, ecotech battery backup on an mp 10 just in case and a battery backup air stone that goes on if power goes out. Not nearly enough but some piece of mind..
Harvey123
New member
Thanks to my apex my tank is fine do to a heater that stuck on yesterday. My apex emailed me and I went straight home and unplugged the heater controller. I than plugged my heater in to my apex. Everything is fine now and the temp only hit 83f .
SweesFeesh
New member
Isn't it annoying that despite all the technological advances, they still can't make a cheap chiller? Well, my tanks been running for 4 months now (Not exactly that long) and what I do to keep it running is to keep everything simple. Now, I would love to have a nice tank with skimmer, auto-topoff, chiller, sump, refugium, and everything else, but I'm 14 and make 10 dollars a month. I have two fans on the tank, a nice 510 gph powerhead, 2 18 watt lights (Really trying to save up for more.), a filter, and nothing else. I have found that slow and steady also helps. Second month of tank running, I finally had peppermint shrimp, emerald crabs, and a nassarius snail. Third month, I got a fish. Fourth month, I finally got an acceptable clean up crew. This is all for a 20 gallon tank, and I'm enjoying the pace I'm going at. (Come to think of it, I might be in my fifth or sixth month right now. I'm bad at keeping track of time.)
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